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"Because our carbon release rate is unprecedented over such a long time period in Earth's history, it also means that we have effectively entered a `arc . nano ,u.ue' state," said Zeebe. "This represents a big challenge for projecting future climate changes because we have no good comparison from the past. Qua- b,�,,st,tl; ;s, ,,,s u;g.g� . that future ocean acidification and possible effects on marine calcifying organisms will be more severe than during PETM." Climate Change Could Be Abrupt, Trigger Dire Consequences Burning fossil fuels at the current pace will trigger an abrupt climate shift, according to a s;[ udy pu:ublished in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. Authored by retired NASA climate scientist James Hansen and 18 others, the study uses global climate modeling, paleoclimate data and modern observation of interactions between the ocean and ice sheets (specifically the Greenland and Antarctic ice shelves) to determine impacts associated with melt. "We conclude that light freshwater added to upper layers of the ocean is already beginning to shut down North Atlantic Deep Water formation and Antarctic Bottom Water formation," sa;i�j,,,]H[,an,s,t. °, . "This will have enormous consequences in future decades, if full shutdown is allowed to occur." The study, which strure ui,_d bate, when it came out in d fl. i'�;p,bu_n thls,,,,suuunm b; suggests that the impacts of global warming will not only happen m(, n( u:tiu k1 xaun tluup ;uglx; , but be more dire than envisioned. Holding temperatures to the 2 degrees Celsius of warming above pre - industrial levels would not be enough to save the planet from experiencing collapsing ice sheets and megastorms. The 1 �!R r concludes that "if the ocean continues to accumulate heat and increase melting of marine - terminating ice shelves of Antarctica and Greenland, a point will be reached at which it is impossible to avoid large -scale ice sheet disintegration with sea level rise of at least several meters. The economic and social cost of losing functionality of all coastal cities is practically incalculable." The Climate Post offers a rundown of the week in climate and energy news. It is produced each Thursday by Duke University's Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions and cross posted on the Huffington Post and National Geographic News Watch. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or subscribe to our YouTube channel for more updates.